Shayna Texter Looks Towards 2014 Sacramento Mile

Even a month-and-a-half out, 23-year-old factory Triumph rider, Shayna Texter, has her eyes on the Sacramento Mile scheduled for July 26, 2014. Although Sacramento is a continent away from her Willow Street, PA home, Texter has the momentum of having won the Pro Singles class events at the Cal Expo for the past two years.

For 2014, Texter has stepped up to the premier class, the Grand National Championship, and begins the adjustment from the Pro Singles support class to the big show. Never one to shirk a challenge, Texter is simultaneously developing the Latus Motors Racing/Castrol Triumph. With four national events between today and the Sacramento mile, Texter will hopefully have the time to sort out the Triumph’s handling issues and qualify for her first Grand National.

Shayna Texter has been used to winning in the Pro Singles support class, but she acknowledges her goals are a bit more modest this year in the premier AMA Grand National class.

Regardless, a ton of attention is focused on Texter because of her unique status as the first female rider who has scored eight support-class wins during her three year tenure in the support-class. She is respected among her fellow racers:

“Shayna is a smart racer,” says fellow pro Briar Bauman, of Salinas, California. “She’s one of the best at setting up other riders for passes. Most people think she has her biggest advantage with strong drives out of turns, but if you watch her closely she’s actually one of the best at making up time diving into turns with really good speed.”

However, being a smart racer, Texter is aware of where she stands in the series and what she hopes to accomplish:

“Realistically I’m not out there fighting for wins this year,” she admits. “Of course every time you come to the track that’s your ultimate goal, but I’m going to be out there fighting for the Rookie of the Year this season. That’s my main goal. It would be huge for me to be the first female to win Rookie of the Year and in order to do that you need to make mains and be consistent. So that’s our goal this year to go out and be consistent and try to win that award.”

Still, this doesn’t change her excitement for the coming Sacramento Mile. Says Texter, “Sacramento is really special to me and it’s one of the special events on the circuit. It’s awesome to race on a track that has so much history in our sport and it’s great to see that it’s back on the schedule this year.” Every racer has a track that suits them, and Texter says that Sacramento is one of them: “For some reason the Sacramento Mile just comes easy to me. We always seem to have the bike setup great and it really fits my riding style. I seem to be able to finesse my bike there and it’s one of those places where it just clicks.”

To find out more about the famed Sacramento Mile, visit the event’s website and Facebook page.

[Source: Sacramento Mile]

By Evans Brasfield